And Chapter Two is finished. Sorry it took so long. Been dealing with papers and tests and more papers and observations for my Education classes, so its b een hectic. Hopefully once this semester is over I can get this wrapped up and sent out. The next few weeks are going to be busy as anything.
Probably one maybe two more chapters depending on how much I get covered.
And as promised, this is the shiny new chapter is now beta-read by my spiffy new beta-reader Chibi Oniyuri. She got this back super fast so a big thank you to her. Also a big thank you to the people who have emailed me about beta-reading. I shall be getting back to you as soon as possible!
Ravyn
Warning: More violence, gore, and probably several adult themes children should not read. For all of you who are waiting happily for the smut it shall be there next chapter! Promise! In fact, its already written! Go me!
Dislcaimer: I do not own RK. Very, very sad.
Eyes several shades colder than her own stared back from hair as thick and black as hers; his jaw was squarer, harder, and his lips were thin and twisted from years of disappointment and greed. She had always been thankful she had her mother's mouth and nose, but it was her father's jaw that set so stubbornly at the end of her heart-shaped face. There was gray hair at his temples that she hadn't remembered seeing but he hadn't given her time last time. Her hands fisted in the sheets and her breathing became painfully ragged.
"Hello, buttercup, have you missed your daddy?" he questioned, his eyes hard and cold while his mouth smiled at her. "You weren't supposed to run off and leave me so soon. We were just getting started. You left me with some disappointed clients." Kaoru felt her stomach churn with a tangle of terror and despair as he shut the door, deliberately locking it to block out the nurses and the one man who had promised to keep her safe. He was going to hurt her. Her breath was shallow, well practiced, as he moved forward. His movements were deliberate as he took in his large hands the ankle carefully wrapped in the ace-bandage to control the swelling.
"You have been a very bad daughter," he told her softly, balancing her foot carefully between his fingers; scarred from years of abuse. His hands tightened marginally, and her fingers clutched at the blanket. "How much of your mother is still in you, I wonder?" He mused, gradually tightening his fingers as he spoke. How much will you fight the fate that you have been given? Until it drives you crazy, until you beg for the release that death will give you? How soon until I see you as broken as she?"
Kaoru knew better than to cry out, from his words or from his harsh grip. She could have sworn she was seeing spots as his fingers dug into the torn ligaments and her eyes burned with the desire to cry. There was fire racing up her leg. Blood pounded in her ears as her foot developed a heartbeat all of its own, and she had to bite the inside her of her lip, bite against old scars, to keep from screaming.
The lock on the door rattled harshly as someone attempted to enter.
"Ah," Jiro mused. "That would be your friend, wouldn't it?" He put her foot down and gave her a hard smile. "It would be such a shame if someone else died for you."
A second later the door opened and an amber-eyed Kenshin walked in, his expression hostile as he took in the man standing so close to Kaoru's bed. There was a change in Kenshin that she could only feel dimly. She was aware that she was shaking but couldn't seem to control her response to her father.
"Who are you?" Kenshin softly demanded with venom in his voice. Her father was taller, broader than Kenshin, yet it didn't seem to matter as Kenshin managed to broadcast a rage that was almost palpable. Kaoru was terrified. It was one thing to be scared when it was just her, but now she couldn't do anything to protect Kenshin from her father. Panic bubbled in her chest and she was finding it hard to breathe. "And why was the door locked?"
"My name is Jiro Kalman, and I have been attempting to find this girl for some time." He replied easily, mixing the truth with lies flawlessly. She recognized that alias. It was the one he saved for when he was playing investigator or cop. She couldn't remember exactly what he had set himself up as. "She is wanted for questioning for a series of murders it is thought she witnessed."
Kenshin crossed his arms and gave Jiro the most volatile look Kaoru had seen from him yet. "You have no badge, nothing to prove that you can take her with you; and you have not listed your department. My wife is currently suffering from severe trauma. And unless you can give me a good reason, I will slap your department with a lawsuit faster than you can exit this building."
Jiro frowned at him. "I am part of the main Tokyo's investigative branch. We have been looking into yukaza activities for some time and believe your wife may have some information for us that is of viable use." He smiled a hard twisting of his mouth. "I don't believe your wife is as innocent as she has made herself out to be."
Kaoru's throat closed up and her eyes widened as her pupils dilated with terror and somewhere down the hall she heard the warning beeping come from the hall. A few moments later the familiar face of Nurse Ira came in and she looked furious.
"I don't know what is going on in here but you sir," she pointed at Jiro, "are not supposed to be in here. We have limited the visitors to family for a reason. Out. Both of you. I need to give my patient something to calm down." She glared at both men and Kenshin stayed where he was until Jiro moved into the hall first. Kaoru took little gasping breaths and stared at the nurse pleadingly. The Nurse injected something into Kaoru's IV and patted her shoulder.
"That should help dear. I just need you to take nice even breaths. Match your breathing to mine. Let's go…in…and out. In…and out…"
The nurse didn't let Kenshin back in until Kaoru was tucked into the covers and breathing evenly. Kaoru thought she heard the sounds of snarling coming from the hall but her mind was slowly being wrapped in cotton and the soothing voice of the nurse was gentle as she re-wrapped her ankle. The bandage had become mused during Jiro's little twisting expedition and it still hurt. Kaoru opened her eyes when she heard Kenshin's low voice.
"Is she alright?"
"I don't know who that man was but her blood pressure went sky high and her heartbeat escalated far too quickly. The girl was about to hyperventilate. Not only that, but she has somehow managed to cause the swelling to rise in her ankle. It is very important the swelling stays down. If it continues to build we will have to drain it. I want her to rest comfortably and if you cause her to panic we are going to have to ask you to leave as well." Ira warned him.
"He won't be back." Kenshin said softly, an edge to his voice. "I assure you."
Kaoru felt her body attempt to panic. Kenshin had told her father off. He was in danger. She was too relaxed and too tired to do anything, or to warn him, but when his hand curled around her fingers she pressed them into his palm in an attempt to catch his attention.
"I know," Kenshin soothed, smoothing her bangs away from her closed eyes. "I promise I will find out where those accusations came from, snapdragon." Kenshin watched in surprise as a single tear rolled around from under lashes and he brushed it away. "Kaoru," he whispered before shucking his shoes and crawling into the small bed with her. She melted into his side since she was almost asleep anyway and he ran his hand soothingly down her back. "He can't hurt you."
Kaoru honestly wished he was right.
Checking out had been less than painful, although she wasn't sure how she felt about the mandatory wheelchair that she was forced into by the orderly while Kenshin went and retrieved his car. She had really not been appreciative of him picking her up when she was more than capable of hopping to the car herself. Then he had gone and carried her into his apartment as well, but thankfully for him, he had put her on the on the couch.
"All right, snapdragon, this is how it's going to work." Kenshin told her firmly. Kaoru kept her eyes on his face so she wouldn't get distracted by how his t-shirt fit against his shoulders and chest. What was wrong with her? 'You're not half-doped up for one. For another you always notice Kenshin, now you're just in his apartment noticing Kenshin.'
"You are either going to be on that couch or in my bed until your ankle heals. Then we will negotiate."
Kaoru stared at him. "What? There seem to be a whole series of things you aren't taking into account! The fact that lying down for long periods of time isn't good for you and personal bathroom things." She waved her hands. "There is no possible way I am staying on the couch or in your bed all the time. Where are you going to be if I am in your bed?"
Kenshin smiled, a slow smile that had her reminding herself that he was an old man and not available. "I can and will. If you decide to move around without my permission, snapdragon, there are going to be consequences." He leaned forward so that she could understand his husky tones quite clearly. "If you want to push me on this, I am sure I can come up with some sort of punishment." There was a wicked glint in his eyes and Kaoru stilled.
His smile widened at the expression on her face. "Fight me on this one, Kaoru. I look forward to being creative. While you're thinking over my terms, I will make you lunch."
Sighing and staring up at the ceiling, she wondered what on earth she was going to do. She needed to get the hell out of here but she had watched him lock the door and she knew he could move very, very quickly when he wished to. She had seen it. However, she was, for practical purposes, one legged. The stitches in her left calf hurt if she put too much pressure on them and at the hospital Kenshin had smeared some glop on it daily. She needed to cut her toe nails and she need to shave her legs. Well…there was always the chance that the old man wouldn't care for hairy legs.
So she picked up the remote and flipped through the TV with a bit of bemusement. She hadn't channel-surfed in years. In fact, her apartment had only been given a TV when Misao had learned she didn't have one and bought her one on the spot. It had taken another two weeks of arguing about it before it suddenly appeared in her living room and she had only turned it on once to see if they had connected the cable. They had. After that she had never really had time to watch it and when she did have free time she spent it napping, curled up with a book, or blowing up her kitchen. She was pretty sure the package Misao had gotten her hadn't taken so long to flip through either.
Finding some random TV program that looked to be like some sort of documentary over some sort of volcano, she absently watched while scratching at her cast. Looking down at it, she felt a smile blossom on her face. When she had broken her arm the first time, she had learned that the cast itself was hard enough that she could use it to swat at "cousins" who thought to pick on her because she was one-handed. She wondered if the same tactic would work on red-heads who, she was trying to convince herself, belonged in a crypt.
Kenshin came back in with a bed tray and a plate somehow balancing her food and a full cup of apple juice. The sandwiches were in tiny squares so she could pick them up and she was surprised to see that he had managed to make club sandwiches. Was that bacon? When had the man fried the bacon? Maybe she had been hit too hard on the head…however; they were easy to eat and tasted wonderful so she forced herself to eat them slowly. Maybe it was just the hospital food she had been forced to eat for the past two days but she hadn't tasted something so yummy in a while. "Thank you," Kaoru mumbled around one of the small sandwiches.
Kenshin swallowed his own sandwich and grinned. "So, which half of the bed do you want?"
Misao bounced over to her lover and wrapped her arms around his chest and rested her chin in the hollow of his shoulder. "Found anything yet? Delivery-man should be here in half an hour. Sorry that I don't have anything to cook."
He didn't say anything, he rarely did, but his left hand came up to rub against her arm absently while he scanned the documents Hannya had sent them. "Tell me, what seems wrong here?"
Misao frowned and leaned forward a bit. "Let's see…she received her GED at seventeen, hasn't had any tickets. The girl doesn't have a car, which could explain that. Has your basic birth certificate, finger prints….I would say it's all fake simply because it's too damn clean." Misao said firmly. Her eyes swung to the name. She blinked. "That's Kaoru's stuff?"
Aoshi scrolled down. "Yes. I had Hannya look into the name Kamiya but he hasn't turned up anything but a Maria Kamiya, maiden name unavailable, which is suspicious; and it was listed she had a daughter who was deceased at eleven. No name for the daughter." He sat back and pulled Misao around to his lap. "Someone is doing there best to cover their tracks and it's either Kaoru or the people after her."
Misao frowned. "You would think they would have given her high school or grade school or something!"
Aoshi gave her dry look. "Did you see the private tutors?"
Misao blushed faintly.
"They're dead," Aoshi finished calmly. "Were killed around the dates that she took her GED; now either they were killed because she finished school or they were killed and she found out about it and used them to cover her tracks."
Misao looked up. "You think Kaoru is the hacker."
Aoshi looked thoughtful. "I'm not sure yet. I know that a Mr. Jiro Kalman's story was backed up by the Tokyo police and only Saitoh has records for her. There is the off chance that that particular department got their hands through a leak in Saitoh's system, but it's doubtful. Which makes me suspicious. Saitoh is looking into it."
Misao twisted her hands into his hair just behind his ears and frowned. "I don't like this. There is something we are missing. Has Kenshin gotten her to talk yet?"
Aoshi was watching the way her eyes flickered with thought as she scanned the documents again. "No."
Misao sighed. "That man should just bend her over and kiss her senseless." Her words were barely out of her mouth before she found herself bent backwards against the chair with a hot, rich mouth capturing hers. A long moment later her ragged breathing was apparent. "Something like that?"
Misao smiled at him and brought his head back down.
Kaoru opened her eyes, her body perfectly still in the darkness of early morning. Her heart was pounding painfully in her ears and she could feel the heat of the man behind her. There was an arm casually thrown across her waist; an assurance that she wasn't asleep and the nightmare that was still clutching at her subconscious wasn't real. It was never real. However, her body had been trained since she was a child to remain still upon waking and never, ever cry out. She had gotten too good at it, that even when she cried the only way to tell was the change of her breathing. Her tears were soundless and her body hardly shook anymore. She couldn't count the number of nights she had curled up in some alley and let silent tears roll down her face as she shivered in her clothing and mourned the loss of her mother's warm arms to bite back the chill.
There was no way to describe how badly she wanted to turn around and accept the heat of his half-embrace, to curl herself around him and let his body quietly assure her that for now, her father couldn't touch her. He would find her eventually, and she knew one day he would kill her. Until then, she should be able to accept the heat Kenshin was offering her once, right? He didn't act like he would mind since only careful inching of her own body had allowed her to move this far away from him. Slowly, to see if she was waking him, she turned slight, inch by inch and watched him sleep. The heavy curtains blocked out any light so only the faintest brushing of light from the bathroom light he had left on for her, after shutting the door, was seen. He looked like he was still asleep but she never quite knew. Facing him like this was even worse because she needed just a few more inches to be pressed against him. Chewing on her bottom lip and watching his face carefully for any sign of waking, she slipped closer to his body until she had to ease her aching foot over his and slip her bad arm between their bodies. She didn't dare quite touch him, so she let the steady rhythm of his breathing lull her back to sleep.
When she woke up the next morning the inch or so between them had disappeared. She wasn't sure what had woken her, but her cheek was pressed against the hard muscle of his chest and both her legs were somehow tossed over his. Her bad arm was asleep and wrapped around his slim waist while her good was running parallel against his body until her fingers were tangled in his hair. A flush heated against her cheeks at their position. She was no stranger to a man's body; she knew what comfort sex was. Granted, it had only lasted about five minutes in the back of someone's car and, while the couple of guys had been nice enough to get her off after they had finished, she doubted that was what sex was supposed to have been like.
However, none of the men she had messed around with had Kenshin's hard physique and warm ginger smell. Neither did they currently have one hand wrapped around her waist so that his hand was resting against her stomach and against her bare skin with the other hand partly up her t-shirt sleeve to hold her in place.
How was she going to get out of this without waking him up?
She wasn't, she realized with a frown as she was forced to rest against his hard frame like that was where she was supposed to be. Something inside her belly fluttered in excitement at the idea of waking up wrapped around him for the rest of her stay and she not only mentally jumped up and down on it, she grabbed a shovel and buried it. Sighing and shifting in his arms, she squeaked in surprise when he rolled slightly so his nose was pressed just below her ear and her body was cradled protectively with his, his weight pressing against her shoulders instead of her ribs. "Morning," he breathed against her skin, placing small, nibbling kisses against the skin below her ear, and she saw white for a moment before gasping when his tongue flicked out lightly.
"Kenshin," Kaoru whispered her voice husky from sleep. "Kenshin Himura! Wake up! This is Kaoru, not lover in your bed, so will you wake up?"
That caused him to raise his head and give her look mixed with morning shades of violet and a gentle tinge of amber around his pupils. "I know who is in my bed, snapdragon." Her eyes widened as he nibbled lightly on her jaw, and she blinked rapidly when he pulled back.
"No," Kaoru said flatly. She met him square in the eyes and held his gaze. "No, Kenshin."
He watched her carefully before nodding. "You best hold onto that resolve, snapdragon. The minute it falters, you're mine," He smoothed back her bangs. "Until then, I won't touch you." There was a smile in his eyes that was reflected in the curve of his lips, wicked and patient. "Remember that. The minute you can't look me in the eye and tell me no, I will take you. But first, your ribs must heal enough for you to handle what I plan on doing to you."
Kaoru narrowed her eyes at him but he was untangling them, careful of her injuries. "Let's get you some coffee and breakfast. Here," he carefully arranged her and the pillows so she could relax against the headboard comfortably. He flicked on the morning news and left her the remote and she ended up muting it and reaching for one of the books on his nightstand. It was a mystery novel she had been waiting on her next paycheck to get so when he arrived with bacon, English muffins, and fried egg whites, she was several chapters into it. When had she told him that she hated yolk? The bacon and English muffin were easily picked up and he slathered it with the jelly he brought for her when prompted, and the eggs were already sliced into perfect squares so she could jab several clumsily with her fork.
"Alright," Kenshin said as he watched her finish off the last dregs of her coffee. "You can read, watch TV, I can hook up a laptop in the living room for you, or you can get your ass beat down in monopoly."
Kaoru narrowed her eyes at him. She knew a challenge when she heard one. Putting her mug down, she dragged her tongue along her lower lip to catch the last drops and ignored the look that caused. "If I remember correctly, the last time we played monopoly as a group, I won." She raised a brow. "Your memory going in your old age?"
An hour and unknown number of minutes later they were both glaring at the board, their expressions intense as they checked hotels, money-counts, and eyed each others pieces dangerously. Kaoru had Boardwalk, but Kenshin had Parkway. There were a handful of empty coke cans and two empty bowls that had once been popcorn. "You might as well give up," Kaoru chastised him. "I'm going to win."
Kenshin raised an eye brow. "So if I win do I get to pass go and collect $200?" there was a spark in his eyes that her chunking the dice at him.
"Get your head out of the gutter, old man," Kaoru warned as she rolled the dice, since it was her turn. Just before she could let the little numbered pieces roll, smirking a faint challenge, there was a knock on the door and Kenshin was already rising. How did that man do that?
Misao bounded into the room with a squeal and Aoshi followed leisurely after her. Kaoru braced herself for the hug that was coming but somehow Misao managed to restrain herself and she simply bounced up and down from where she had thrown herself next to her friend, babbling a hundred miles per second about information Kaoru could translate only because of a year of friendship.
"I brought your cell-phone because I thought you would want it, I also paid your electric bill and you're not paying me back, and I brought over another bag of your things so you have something to wear besides Kenshin's shirts." Misao babbled without breathing. "What is that?" She paused in the middle of her rant to stare at the remains of the game she and Kenshin had been playing.
"Monopoly," Kenshin said easily. "We got bored and I was winning."
Misao stared at the board. She hadn't thought monopoly could be considered warfare but by the ruthless tactics that appeared to have been developed to steal as much money from the other as possible, that's just what it had become. "This looks like Wall-street, guerrilla warfare style."
Kaoru grinned wickedly. "I am winning." Aoshi said nothing as he looked over the board but it was apparent from his expression he was greatly amused. "I used to be the monopoly Queen in High school." Kaoru smirked at Kenshin and leaned back against the couch. "Thanks for bringing my things, Misao."
Misao shrugged. "A woman without her cell-phone is like a man without his personal anatomy. Lonely." Kaoru coughed to hide her laughter.
"I don't think I have ever heard it quite that way," Kaoru mused as she attempted to keep a straight face. "Thank you for clearing that up for me."
Misao waved her hand. "It was no big deal. Personally, when Kenshin starts to drive you crazy and starts using strange rules to get his way, yes he makes them up, call me and I will come and rescue you." She smiled a wide Itachi smile. "I handle wild animals who scream all the time." Behind her bangs her eyes cut to Aoshi and Kaoru really had to keep from laughing then because it hurt her ribs.
"Well, now that I am here, you two can go." Misao continued. "Now, Kaoru, what do you want on your half of the pizza?"
Kenshin blinked. "What?"
Misao gave him a very scary look. "This poor girl has been locked up with you for three days now. She needs breathing room. You're leaving. With Aoshi. Go and put your shoes on before I decide to maim you somewhere that might be a bit more important than your face. I need to have a girl talk with Kaoru anyway. We need to discuss the decorating scheme for her apartment when it gets renovated." She made a sniffing noise. "Aoshi, take him away."
Kaoru sighed and held the bridge of her nose as the men left. This was going to get tricky. "No."
Misao pouted, her wide, full mouth so striking in her cat-like face, pouted. "Why not?"
Kaoru crossed her arms. "I don't want to talk about it. I don't want to talk about it to you, to Kenshin, or to any more of those police officers who came in and tried to badger me." Her eyes were dark in her pale face. "I…why do you think you can help? Why did Kenshin name me wife, and why does Aoshi have a shoulder holster on his left arm? Tell me these things Misao, and I might be able to tell you."
Misao stared at her, her own eyes wide. "I…I don't know why Kenshin named you his wife." Her expression went hard. "No, I know. He has cared for you for a long time, Kaoru. That day we met was because of Kenshin. He liked your calves and your smile and was a bit enchanted with your temper." She allowed a bit of her serious expression to falter at Kaoru's snort.
"I am not a child that needs to be patronized." Kaoru informed her tightly, her eyes suddenly hooded. Misao blinked in surprise. She had never seen that expression on Kaoru's face and suddenly wondered if there wasn't some truth to that Jiro man's accusation. There had always been a sort of tempered steel mixed with wild flame in Kaoru's Chi but this…was something else. "I will not be given half truths and lies and expected to live off them." Her dark blue eyes burned with a stubborn will that Misao had only seen one other time. "I am sorry Misao. Once my leg has healed I will not bother all of you with this anymore. I don't know what you all have in your past, but I am not part of it and cannot be part of its future." Something pained flickered pale blue amongst the almost-black of her gaze. "I should never have allowed myself this as it is."
Misao was dumbfounded but forced herself to pay attention. She now knew there was something Kaoru hadn't been telling them. She had always known it, but now she knew for sure that those files were not telling her something. She made mental plans to call and chew on Hannya. "Kaoru, you have three bruised ribs, a broken wrist, a busted ankle, and stitches in various places. Where would you go?"
Kaoru gave her a pained, sad look. "That's an answer you have not earned."
When Kenshin came home Misao and Kaoru were playing Go Fish. There was an unusual air of…tension in the air and Misao's eyes were missing some of there sparkle. There were lines around Kaoru's mouth that hadn't been there before and Kenshin wondered at them, but when neither woman volunteered the information Kenshin was forced to sit on his hands and keep quiet. He had picked up some ingredients to make some sushi and he needed to get started so he could have dinner ready for when her appetite kicked in. He had plans to make her some of those California rolls she loved and a few Salmon rolls for some variety. He already had this saltwater rinse for the Salmon ready. The imitation crab sticks he had picked up were in the fridge and so he rinsed and started the rice. Once that was happily sitting on the back of his stove he went about making the sauce. Kenshin hummed to himself as he combined the vinegar, salt, and sugar; once the sugar melted he turned off the heat and let it cool. Kenshin easily set about peeling and slicing the cucumbers and avocadoes until it was time to pull out the crab sticks. Carefully he put everything on the large plate he had pulled down and lightly covered them with lemon juice. The lemon would keep everything from discoloring. Once he had his ingredients in the fridge he checked the rice.
He kept an ear on the living room as he sliced the smoked salmon he had picked up into thin strips. He had set out cream cheese earlier to let it hit room temperature and he set about preparing the mixture for the salmon rolls. He took some of the uncooked salmon he had rinsed in salt water and let it boil for ten minutes while he prepared the rest of his mixture. The rice was done so he carefully folded the rice a bit to break it up and then he poured the mixture he had prepared earlier over the rice and once it was carefully mixed he spread it over a large strip of aluminum to cool. The boiled salmon was finished so he blended it with cream cheese, tomato paste, lemon juice and the smallest amount of plain gelatin he could. Once that was blended he smeared the mixture on the smoked salmon and rolled them and slid a toothpick through them and stuck them in the fridge to cool.
Then he set about finishing the California rolls. The rice had cooled so he laid the bamboo mat out and placed the nori out after he covered the mat with plastic wrap. He spread a thin layer of rice over the nori and then arranged strips of avocado and put the cucumber in the middle of the strips and then piled crab meat and rolled everything. The recipe he used generally produced about 40 individual rolls and if Misao's voice said anything, whatever Kaoru didn't eat she or Aoshi would. Once everything was finished he piled the food onto two platters and then located the little bowls to pour the wasabi, soy sauce, and pickled ginger that Aoshi favored into bowls so that they could dip the food if they wished.
He set the platters onto the low coffee table and pinned Misao's squeal with a glare. "Kaoru eats first. Then you can eat the leftovers." He warned as he placed the little bed tray she used to eat over her lap. He placed a full plate in front of her and calmly swatted at quick ninja fingers. "Touch those salmon rolls and I will tell Hiko you want to work with Cho." He warned softly, his eyes flicking her direction and she scowled.
Dinner proceeded with the sushi and salmon rolls disappearing long before Aoshi and Misao left and Kenshin munched a few but contented himself on some soup he had been nursing for a few days. A good pot of homemade beef stew was something he made every so often and lived off of until it was gone. He had tried to make do with a simple fare of crackers but Kaoru had all but shoved three of the dozen salmon rolls at him and gave him a look that dared him to argue with her. Kenshin felt something warm his insides at her concern, even if it was just to assuage some of her guilt for having him care for her. He noted with satisfaction that she cleaned off her plate and ate a few off the plate Misao had finally formed, much to Misao's chagrin. Whatever had happened between them had cleared up and if things were a bit quieter, that was fine.
Kenshin watched as Kaoru pulled her good leg up and rubbed like she was annoyed with something. He made a mental note and began gathering dishes and fetched one of the frozen strawberry fruit bars Kaoru was addicted to. It was something easy to eat one handed. Perhaps he could make her some miniature chocolate tarts? He ran the idea over in his head as he washed the dishes and waved to Misao and Aoshi when they left. Once his kitchen was clean again he left Kaoru to her own limited devices and set about getting the bathroom ready for his project.
Kaoru almost fell off the couch when Kenshin leaned over and dropped a lingering kiss on the corner of her mouth. She raised her eyes to his face startled. He acted like there was nothing out of the ordinary although she swore there was a spark of something smoldering back behind his eyes. However, she did yelp when he slid an arm under her knees and when his fingers traced across the small of her back just before his arm slid around her there as well as when he muscles flexed as he picked her up. She grasped his shoulders in surprise and blew both his and her hair out her eyes and growled at him. "Kenshin! What are you doing?"
Kenshin shifted her so that her hands clutched at him and her mouth pressed against the junction of his neck and shoulder. "Himura Kenshin," Kaoru growled as he set her down in his bathtub. He had padded the bottom and the back with some thick fluffy towels. However, it was when he went to tug on her shorts that she squeak and grabbed his wrists in surprise. "Stop!"
Kenshin smiled at her, the long strands of his hair falling over his shoulder. "I was going to shave your legs for you." Her grip slackened on his wrist and he took advantage of it to slip her shorts past her knees until she yelped and grabbed her shorts with her good hand and glared at him.
"No, you're not!" She squeaked, her cheeks darkening to rosy pink when she caught his eyes lingering on her thighs. She was almost sorry she hadn't worn some pretty underwear and then that made her blush more. Kenshin smiled at her blush and traced a finger down her hot cheek.
"Yes I am." He told her calmly, his eyes flecking with heated coals. "You might as well let me do this, Koishii," he tugged at her shorts again. "You're not going to be able to shave with one hand and keep your cast dry. Now, how far do you normally shave up your leg?" One of his fingers traced a line up her thigh and she squeaked when it hit the sensitive skin of her inner thigh. Kenshin grinned at her.
"I'll stop there then."
Kaoru scowled when he finished pulling her shorts off and pulled the overlarge sock she had borrowed from him off her cast-foot and then pulled off her other sock as well. He ran a finger down the line of her toes with a thoughtful expression and Kaoru looked down at the chipped lavender toenail polish and thought about kicking him. However, he was turning the water on low and when it was warm enough his long tapered fingers were smoothing warm water across her good leg. Then he was smearing a generous amount of shaving cream across her calves.
"If you cut me," Kaoru scowled at him, "I won't be happy."
He shot her an amused grin and waved the razor under her scowling face. "Trust me, Kaoru. This is an issue we really must work on." Kaoru made a face and made a show of watching his movements but in truth she was fascinated by the flex of his wrist and fingers. The grasp of his hands on her ankle or calf as he steadied her so he could reach all those places she never really bothered with, such as behind her knees. He would flex her knee every which way to get all the small hairs that were such a pain. However, when his hands coaxed the razor up past her knee and halfway up her thigh she was hard pressed not to squeak and had almost swallowed once, twice.
He repeated the process with the other leg, minus where the cast was, and then lathered up his hands with her favorite jasmine body wash and carefully washed her legs free of residual shaving cream. He rinsed them with a cup she hadn't seen before he reached for it. He had tossed a small towel over the tops of her thighs so not to get her panties wet and once she was clean he picked her back up and settled her onto the edge of the stool in his bathroom. Kaoru scowled as she sat there, uncomfortable sitting there in nothing more than her t-shirt, bra, and panties. She heard a familiar click and looked down to see Kenshin pouring a liberal amount of lotion into his hand.
"What are you doing?" Kaoru squeaked when his hands enclosed her calves and smoothed lotion onto the newly shaved skin.
"Megumi reminded me that razor burn is not enjoyable and that shaving dries your skin out." Kenshin replied, lightly amused at the expression that crossed her face and how it changed into closed-eye bliss when he massaged her calf a little. Quirking a brow upwards, he applied a little more pressure and massaged the lotion up her leg. He couldn't help but repeat the process up past her knee which earned him her eyes flying open with a squeak and a pale blush staining her cheeks.
Politely he pretended not to notice but mentally filed the information away into the part of his brain he had donated to memorizing Kaoru Kamiya and set to applying lotion to the next leg. She didn't say anything so when he finished and smeared the last of the lotion lingering on his hands into her own hands careful to rub his thumb across the palms of her hands. "There," he softly said, standing up and hoisting her again. "Do you want a shower?"
Kaoru's face turned scarlet at the memory of her last shower and she shook her head. "No, I won't need to wash my hair until tomorrow," she squeaked and Kenshin took pity on her and contented himself to dropping a quick kiss on the edge of her lips. "Let's get you settled into bed then, shall we?"
Which was how she found herself tucked into his covers and flipping through the TV while he took a shower; he had offered to fetch her a book but her eyes were tired and she didn't think her attention span was going to be long enough to read something. Not with the memory of Kenshin's tapered fingers caressing her thighs. His touch had sent little sparks rolling up into her stomach and it had been almost embarrassing except she was almost a hundred percent sure he had been doing it on purpose.
Kaoru listened to the shower turn off and she sighed and flicked the TV off and curled into a fetal position and tried to fall asleep. Even with the sheets warmed with her body it was difficult. Her brain was still trying comprehend the feel of Kenshin on so many different levels that she couldn't sleep. Sighing she fisted her hands in his sheets and reminded herself that she needed to get out of his apartment and back on the streets as soon as possible. Kenshin was becoming more than a simple addiction; he was slowly becoming as valuable as her own heart beat, and it would get him killed.
Kaoru scowled as Kenshin pushed up the path to the Megumi's clinic. She had wanted crutches but the cast on her wrist had prevented that. Hopefully she could get it taken off today and be given the clear for walking. She had been a good girl the past few weeks and the added five pounds had proved it. Kenshin had done a good job of regulating what she could eat but with her damaged ankle and wrist any sort of exercise had almost been vetoed. Scowling at the thought of how out of shape she really was, she crossed her arms huffily. She had been in a constant bad mood since she realized that Kenshin wasn't treating her the way that he treated the rest of his female friends. Granted, she had thought it had at first had something to do with her being single, but she was starting to see a pattern she wasn't sure she liked.
"What are you going to do if you face gets stuck like that?" Kenshin's voice ghosted over the edge of her ear and she jumped. Tilting her just enough to scowl at him, she watched as something flickered through his eyes. Kaoru felt her stomach flutter with the expression and she jerked her head back down.
"It just means there is less work involved in glaring at you," Kaoru shot back, attempting to keep the desperation out of her voice. He had been easing her into whatever it was he was planning to do, and she was trying to dig her heels in. Kenshin gave a low chuckle in the back of his throat at her expression.
"Ah Kaoru," he teased as he opened the door and easily pushed her through, "the things you tempt me with."
Her good hand fisted in her lap.
"I was wondering when you two were going to show up," Megumi scolded as she walked around the corner, handing a clipboard to the woman across the next with a nod. The clinic itself was actually rather empty, Kenshin noticed with surprise. Megumi had a worn expression on her face that suggested it had just recently died down and he gave her a sympathetic look.
"Traffic was a bit nuts on the highway," Kenshin softly replied as he walked to the front and picked up Kaoru's paper work and filled it out with a practiced ease while Kaoru tapped her fingers on the metal of her wheelchair. "I take it we're not late?"
Megumi shook her head. "You're lucky things are dying down." She informed him and smiled at Kaoru. "If you will wheel her around back there is a technician who can go ahead and x-ray her arm to see how it's been healing."
Kenshin nodded his head and handed the clipboard back the nurse behind the desk and wheeled Kaoru back to the room Megumi had pointed out. Kenshin ignored the technician and picked her up and placed her on the table. The technician was a blonde-haired boy with a bright smile and a good natured expression as he shooed Kenshin out. The amused look in his eyes suggested that it wasn't the first time that he had dealt with Kenshin. Kaoru cooperated and even kept from growling in protest when he picked her up and put her in her chair.
"I am not an invalid," Kaoru muttered under her breath as the door opened and she was wheeled back into the hallway. Megumi and Kenshin were in deep conversation and stopped when they saw that she was coming.
"Once the x-rays are finished I will come in. If everything has gone right we will be able to take that cast off today. It will take about an hour if you want to go and grab something to eat," Megumi told them softly. She smiled at Kaoru. "There is a great little deli down the road that has nice soups and sandwiches."
Kaoru made a face. "I am getting to be very good with my left hand." She looked mournfully at the cast on her wrist. "I am, however, thoroughly sick of finger-foods."
Kenshin laughed at her and tugged lightly on her bangs, an affectionate move that had her swinging her cast at him so he had to dance out of her way. Megumi grinned at their good-natured teasing and shooed them away. Kaoru managed to wait until she was out the door before biting at him.
"If you don't stop treating me like an invalid," Kaoru warned him as he pushed her back out to the car, "I swear I am going to find a way to murder you in your sleep."
Kenshin grinned as her as he opened his car door. There was a wicked spark of mischievous fire in his eyes when he glanced back at her. "Now, darling, if you did that, then who would your curl up with at night when you get cold?"
Kaoru swatted at him with her cast for good measure, then attempted it again when he laughed at her. Eventually they both were settled into the car and Kenshin was moving down the block. "You are not wheeling me into the deli." Kaoru told him, her lower lip jutting out dangerously.
Kenshin quirked a brow at her. "You are not walking."
Kaoru glared at him. "You are not carrying me or sticking me in that wheel chair. I am tired of being an invalid Kenshin!" Her voice was low and furious and he continued to drive. Kaoru wilted a bit. "Please." She added on an after note, mentally cringing at the sound of her voice. His jaw tightened and he didn't say anything else until after they were parked. Kaoru sighed in defeat when he shut his door and clumsily unbuckled herself. Turning when the door opened, she expected to see the damn wheel-chair; instead all she saw was Kenshin's long fingers as he waited patiently for her to take his hand.
She looked up to his face and hesitantly put her left hand into his and accepted his help to get out of the car. She squeaked a bit in surprise when he pulled her against his chest. "One time," he whispered into her hair, "just one time let me see you're in pain, and you're getting carried."
Kaoru smiled brightly and went to move out of his arms and frowned up at him when he refused to move. "You're going to use me as a crutch," he told her flatly. "Keep as much weight off your ankle as possible." Kaoru nodded and accepted his arm as she hobbled a bit into the restaurant, biting the cheek opposite to Kenshin to keep from screaming in frustration at her limp. How long was it going to take her to get rid of this damn issue?
Kenshin settled her into the table and went and placed their orders. Kaoru would have felt a little miffed if she wasn't used to this behavior. Besides, so far he had done pretty well in getting her food that she liked. Once she had her feet back though…
He came back with a coke for her and sweet-tea for himself. It always amused her that he had sighed over her choice of beverages so often when he dumped a good four packets of sugar into his tea. For someone who had such a sugar addiction she couldn't understand why he was so against her soda/caffeine addiction. Shrugging off the thought, she stretched her legs a little and sighed in bliss as she sipped her coke through the straw, enjoying the lazy atmosphere of the place. It was a quaint little shop with a homey atmosphere that would attract Megumi. Humming slightly along with the tune in her head, she blushed faintly when she caught Kenshin watching her with a lazy expression in his eyes that warmed her to her core.
'You're not supposed to be attracted to him anymore,' Kaoru reminded herself as she stabbed at ice-cubes with her straw. 'If you can't keep from caring for him now, what are you going to do when your injuries aren't impending what you see in his eyes?'
"If you're lucky," Kenshin informed her softly, his voice muted in respect to the lazy atmosphere, "Megumi will let you get away with wearing a hard brace instead of that cast."
Kaoru sighed in pleasure of the thought. "This damn cast itches," she informed him irritably. "The idea of using a blow-dryer did help, but I want my fingers and hand back."
Kenshin's eyes glinted with amusement. "You are aware you're going to have to find a new weapon to use against me now." His mouth twitched. "No more attacking the innocent, defenseless man with the cast."
Kaoru kicked him in the ankle with her good foot. "You are never innocent or defenseless, and you deserved it," she set a mock glare on him. "I am sure I can come up with some sort of weapon to use against you." Her voice lowered threateningly and his smile bloomed into something more.
"Oh I am sure you can," he purred, his eyes darkening in color. He opened his mouth to say something that was going to be dangerous when their food was brought out. He had gotten her a chunky bread-bowl full of potato soup that would be easy to dip out with her left hand. For himself the women dropped off a bowl of broccoli and cheese soup.
Kaoru ate carefully, enjoying the soup. It was thick and was sprinkled with bacon bits, chives, and sour cream. The lunch was quiet as they enjoyed their meals. Kaoru discovered it was almost impossible to tear the bowl one-handed so Kenshin located her some crackers. Kenshin didn't rush her; instead he sat back and watched her when he was finished, something flickering in his eyes that made her nervous. The quirk to his lips told her he knew it, and she was relieved when he didn't press her.
Once she was finished he bundled her back out to the car and Kaoru found herself back in the clinic. Megumi had already prepared the room for her, and Kaoru bit her lip the entire time they were taking her cast off. Kenshin had been right about the brace, but it was better than the cast. This also meant she could start washing her own hair. She and Kenshin had come to a compromise. He would wash her hair when she wanted it done, but shower time was her time. He would simply tie a plastic bag around her wrist and he had bought her a little stool to sit on in the shower when her ankle started to protest. Showers took forever, but it was worth it.
"There," Megumi warned as she showed Kaoru how to put the brace on. "You can wash it in the washer when it gets dirty, but you might want to let it either air dry or blow-dry it so you don't bend the support." She gave Kaoru a droll look. "Trust me on that one."
Kaoru didn't say a word. Instead she nodded. "And my ankle?"
Megumi grinned at her. She had unwrapped the ace-bandage around the ankle and looked it over already, but hadn't said anything. "You can start putting pressure on it. A little at a time though. Don't rush things. I have given Kenshin a list of exercises you need to do with your wrist to build the muscles back up, and I will send him one for your ankle as well. They're basic exercises and I know he will make sure you do them. I would say in about two weeks you should be back on that foot with only a minor limp."
Kaoru grinned in relief and stuck her tongue out at Kenshin. "Which means I get to walk out to the car," she informed him triumphantly. He gave a long-suffering sigh and she laughed at him. Megumi had an amused expression on her face but didn't say anything as Kaoru gingerly stepped down.
"I want you to come back in two weeks," Megumi told her firmly. "You are going to need another check up before we put you in the clear. How are the pain meds going?"
Kaoru made a face. "I got off those a week ago, Megumi. That makes me loopy and ibuprofen works just fine."
Megumi nodded. "That's fine. You two have a safe trip home."
Kaoru practically beamed as she hooked her hands around Kenshin's forearm and limped her way out to the car.
Kaoru tested her weight against her ankle and nodded. After weeks of being hauled around like a sack of potatoes or being wrapped around his waist like a second skin, she was thankful she had been reduced to a simple limp. She was finally almost completely healed!
She was just thankful that the damage to her wrist was mostly healed. Megumi had wanted her to keep the brace on, even after her last check up, and she had obliged. Kenshin had been forcing her to her physical therapy with something that might have been obsession.
Kenshin's attitude towards her hadn't changed at all. Well, perhaps it was getting a bit more intense, but he was still treating her like she was made of glass. She was almost thankful for that because every time he dropped a kiss on the corner of her mouth she had the insane urge to turn her head and meet his mouth full on. Whatever he was doing was turning into a full out war!
He had started cuddling with her during movies, running his hands up and down her arms. He made a point to sit close enough that she could feel his body heat but nothing besides his hands would actually touch her. He would play with the ends of her hair and it only reminded her of his own silky-locks that she desperately fought the urge against feeling between her knuckles.
Kaoru almost sighed in relief when there was a knock on her door. Sweet distraction. "Kenshin, I will get it." Kenshin was in the kitchen making lunch. She had no idea what he was fixing her, but he had been getting creative lately since he was no longer limited to something easy to eat. Last night he had grilled steaks and her mouth still watered from how good they had been.
Kaoru looked out the peephole and froze. She must have made some sort of sound because Kenshin was suddenly at her side, looking down at her concerned. The knock repeated and Kaoru wrapped her hand around his wrist and swallowed hard. "It's…that officer again." She was terrified. Kenshin hadn't known that she had overheard his conversation with Aoshi a few days ago. Jiro had cornered Misao in an attempt to locate her and the Itachi had been so furious she had filed an official complaint. As far as Kaoru knew, Jiro wasn't allowed anywhere near Misao. She wasn't quite so lucky. Kenshin's eyes narrowed as he took in her pale expression. "I can tell him to leave."
Kaoru swallowed hard and told herself to get a grip. "He will just come back." She reminded him softly, closing her eyes as he hugged her. She breathed in the scent of his cologne and licked her lips.
Kenshin pulled back and then leaned down to the kiss the corner of her mouth. "If he starts asking difficult questions, I will ask him to leave." He opened the door and Jiro smiled as he took them both in.
"If I may come in?"
Kaoru felt ill. There was a manila folder in Jiro's hands and a smile on his face that had her stomach in knots. She saw Kenshin watching her out of the corner of his eyes and forced herself to relax, to breathe. It was once she had gotten her breathing regulated that she realized that she had driven her nails into Kenshin's arm. She didn't say anything, but she suddenly had the gut wrenching feeling that whatever was in that envelope wasn't going to be helping her sleep at night.
Kenshin sat close enough to her that she could hang onto his wrist. She smiled painfully at the man and was thankful that for once she had left her hair down to hide her expression from Kenshin. "Can I help you, Detective?" Kaoru asked softly, forcing herself to play her father's game.
"Please, call me Jiro," her father smoothly replied softly, his eyes glinting for a moment. "I just came by to make sure that you hadn't had any problems from anyone?" His tone was silky and confidant and Kaoru maintained her mask.
Kenshin spoke up which surprised her. "Nothing that we wouldn't have reported, since you have been so diligently checking up on the girls; Misao was rather….detailed in her explanation of your questions." Kenshin's voice was calm but there was something in it that startled her. Some edge, or shadow, that she hadn't seen in him before; she almost tilted her head to look at his profile but stopped when Jiro began to speak.
"I am just covering all of my bases," Jiro replied smoothly. "We have uncovered some evidence that we think will help jog your wife's memory." His mouth curved into a smile Kaoru recognized. It was the same smile he had just before he pulled out the hammer and beat her mother's face in. Kaoru's stomach sank.
He opened the file. "We couldn't figure out why your wife wouldn't testify or answer our questions, so we did some research. We found some pictures of an old case file that we think might be connected to Mrs. Himura, and we were hoping they would jog her memory. " He spread the content of the file out on the coffee table and Kaoru felt the air being forced out of her lungs like a hand was squeezing tightly. Her mother's broken, smashed face was in front of her and the long hands she had loved as a child were disjointed and shattered. She stared at the pictures and it took a moment to realize Kenshin wasn't next to her anymore but growling at the man in front of her. Her breath was coming in panicked bursts.
"We no longer think she is part of the mafia," Jiro assured him, not seeming bothered by the fact that Kenshin was inches from him, his jaw clenched tightly with his temper. "In fact, we think she may be running from them. The woman is believed to be her mother." Kaoru refrained from making a sound but her stomach upheaved, and the longer she stared at her mother the more the memories, the terror, seeped into her skin. "If she is a victim in this crime we will need her to come down to the station and look through some mug photos of past suspects…"
"Get out," Kenshin said softly, his tone liquid silk. "Or I will throw you out myself." There was a hard edge to his voice. "If you want her to come down to the station you can come up with something besides pictures." His voice was a low growl and his body was strung tight.
Jiro sneered at him and Kaoru missed what happened next because she was bolting for the bathroom as one of the pictures slid down to show her mother face up close where the double edges of the hammer had smashed into her eye, tearing out large strips of skin and caving in her cheekbone. Just like she remembered.
She was crying even as she lost what she had left of breakfast. She didn't care if her hair fell into the toilet or if she could taste her own stomach acid. Instead, she felt the pain of her wrist as put her weight on it as she gagged and choked, giving strangled sobs. He had brought her the pictures of the one nightmare she had failed to bury. The feeling of warm blood splashing against her skin as her mother covered her, the feeling of the hammer hitting her own back, the sounds of breaking bone…
She clutched at Kenshin. She didn't know when he had come in, or how she had ended up in his lap, but she clutched at him desperately and sobbed. Her good hand fisted and twisted in his clothes and her face was buried in his chest as she wept. Her body heaved silently as she gasped and gave dry sobs. His hands were buried in her hair and he was whispering against the skin of her neck, but she couldn't hear any of it past her own personal nightmare.
When she finally stopped crying she felt empty. She clung listlessly to Kenshin and accepted the tissue to blow her nose and then fell back against his chest. She didn't have the energy to push against him or fight him when he gathered her close and stood. She really didn't have the energy to explain and didn't even attempt to move her eyes from where they were settled on his forearm. She hoped he burned the pictures. She hadn't known her father had a camera at that time. The mafia he worked for must have taken them for some reason. Pictures were evidence and, as far as anyone knew her, mother had been killed when her car exploded for reasons that were never discovered. There hadn't been enough of her body left to find the marks in her bones.
However, when you were forced to watch someone ripped to pieces and broken and bashed apart, you never forgot. It had painted the back of her eyelids right up to the day that she had met Kenshin. Sometimes she still woke up breathless and crying, but it hadn't been as bad with Kenshin wrapped around her at night. But she knew the only way she was going to sleep was if she drank herself into a stupor or knocked herself out with something with a bit of a kick to it. Kenshin settled them onto his bed and she just lay across his chest, numb and hurting.
"Talk to me Kaoru," Kenshin urged quietly and Kaoru moved her fingers against his chest in protest. He smoothed her hair away from her face and his hands felt good against the overheated flesh on her face. "Was that really your mother?" Kaoru whimpered like an animal being kicked and he didn't say anything else, just pulled her closer and ran his hands up and down her back until she could breath properly again, but Kaoru never offered him any information.
They stayed like that for the rest of the afternoon. Kaoru figured the only thing that forced him out of the bed was the rumbling of their stomachs. Kaoru just laid there when he had left, staring listlessly at the wall, running the murder through her brain over and over and over. The one thought that colored everything was that she couldn't bring Kenshin into this.
Kenshin brought in cold ham sandwiches with two glasses of apple juice and she ate it automatically. She knew that if she refused the food he would pester her until she gave in and she didn't feel like dealing with him. So she ate her food and shook her head no to a shower and rolled over onto her side and ignored him. She needed to plan how to leave.
Her father hadn't been showing her the pictures of her mother's murder because he wanted to remind her of it. He was showing her how Kenshin was going to find her body. So this meant she was going to have to leave the next time Kenshin took one of his showers or somehow manage to get something into his apple juice and leave when he was drugged. She doubted the second option would work and she didn't know how fast she could get out of the building unassisted. No…she was going to have to plan this carefully. She was learning how Kenshin moved and operated. There had to be something she could use against him…some pattern or habit.
Curling away from him was difficult when she had become used to lying to close to his protective heat. It was some time into her chosen exile that she felt him climb into bed next to her. "Kaoru," he softly called her name but she ignored him. It was easy, to find a sort of numb feeling through everything that had happened.
He made no move to touch her, but she could practically feel the way his eyes bored into the back of her head. She made no move to answer, made no move to turn in his direction. On nights like these, sleep always evaded her and she didn't doubt for a moment that it would continue to do so.
She had the impression, however, that he would sleep as little as she.
A little shorter than I was planning on, but its still a good 22 pages. Hope you all like. This one is more of a transitional chapter I think but the next one should make up for it.
As always, feel free to drop your opinion.
--- R